Watching the World Burn
by HDWren
Summary: Batman and Person of Interest Crossover. Bruce Wayne's number comes up, and Reese and Finch rush to figure out the case. But how much does Finch really know about Bruce, and how much does Bruce really know about Finch? "You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push!"
1. Number

Hey everyone! well, I'm not sure where im going with this story. It just came to me so i wrote it down. Please let me know if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes. (I LOVE BATMAN AND PERSON OF INTEREST!) I most likely will continue the story, but if it doesn't get a lot of views or review, i may be a little slower to update. Reviews and criticism are always welcome. Thanks.

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"_Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." ~ Alfred Pennyworth_

Reese made his way down the street, the wind biting at his coat. The sun broke over the horizon, the shadows starting to grow larger. Reese stopped for a moment, watching as the giant glowing sphere sent sunbeams in every direction while it illuminated the world. Checking his phone, Reese continued on his way to the old abandoned library. Looking around suspiciously, Reese entered the library making sure no one else was around. He made his way up the stairs to where his boss was waiting for him.

"Good morning, Harold." Reese said with a smile, walking to where Finch sat.

"Morning Mr. Reese." Finch responded, glancing at Reese. "We have another number."

"Who is it?" Reese asked, becoming serious.

"Bruce Wayne." Reese raised an eyebrow at the name.

"The playboy, industrialist, philanthropist billionaire who lives in Gotham City?"

"The same." Finch replied dryly.

"Why would the Machine give us his number?"

"I'm not sure. I'm trying to find any leads on who would go through the trouble to kill him."

"What makes you say he is the victim?" Reese asked suspiciously. Harold hesitated, not sure what to tell Reese.

"Just trust me. He's the victim." Reese shook his head, not excepting the answer.

"Finch, how do you know he's not planning anything? We can't just assume that he's the victim."

"John-"

"Tell me Finch." Reese interrupted. Finch sighed, realizing that there was no way out.

"Mr. Wayne and I are," Finch paused, trying to collect his thoughts. "Old friends, I guess. I know him…well. And I know for a fact that he is _not_ the perpetrator." Reese knew that Finch was still hiding something, but he let it slide. He would find out later.

"So where do we start-" Reese was interrupted by the sound of Finch's cell phone ringing. Finch answered it quickly, and Reese turned his attention to the article on Finch's computer about Bruce Wayne's latest activities. As he skimmed the article, he heard Finch talking to the caller.

"Hello to you too. Really? When? It doesn't matter to me. Yeah, why? Of course, I'll see you then." Finch ended the call and Reese gave him a questioning look.

"Who was that?" Reese asked curiously.

"Believe it or not, that was actually Mr. Wayne." Finch responded.

"What did he say? Why did he call you?"

"He didn't say. He did say though that he wanted to talk to me about something urgent."

"When?"

"Tonight." Reese shook his head, not really believing what he was hearing.

"He's coming to New York?"

"No, I'm visiting Gotham," Finch replied and continued before Reese could say anything. "I'm meeting him for diner, and hopefully I can get some idea about why he is the victim." Reese nodded slowly, thinking the plan over in his mind.

"What do you want me to do? I'm going to assume I this isn't going to be a normal case." Reese contemplated and Finch nodded.

"I'm not sure." Finch said honestly. "Even though he doesn't seem like it, Mr. Wayne is a very private person."

"An immensely private billionaire? Sounds like you guys are best friends." Reese joked, and Finch gave him an annoyed look.

"You can go home if you want, Mr. Reese. There's not a lot either of us can do right now. We don't have any information, and we don't have any leads." Reese hesitated, not wanting to simply go home, but he accepted the fact that he couldn't do anything.

"I'll be back later Finch." Reese said as he turned and left.

ooOoo

Reese made his way back to the library around five-thirty. He hated not doing anything, and he had spent the majority of the day wondering around New York aimlessly. As he walked back to the library, questions about how Finch could know Bruce Wayne flowed through him. Finch had mentioned that they were old friends, but when could Finch have possibly met him? They were both extremely wealthy, but the world thought Finch was dead, so that lessened the chance of them meeting at a fancy party. _Mr. Wayne and I are… old friends._ There was something about the way Finch had said that. There was something more to the story. A lot more. Perhaps they met long ago, before Finch was Finch. Maybe even before Finch had become Wren. Reese's thoughts stopped suddenly, as he realized that he had walked right past the library. Annoyed, he turned around and walked back to the library.

As Reese walked back into the library, he found Finch still at his desk staring at the computer screens.

"Good to see you again, Finch." Reese said politely.

"Same to you John." Finch stood up slowly as he replied.

"When are you meeting him?" Reese asked.

"In an hour."

"It takes a lot longer than an hour to drive to Gotham."

"Who said I was driving?" Finch asked with a sly smile. "Private jets are much faster. I'll be in touch with you." Finch said as he walked out the door. Reese watched him go and shook his head.

"Rich people." He muttered to himself.

ooOoo

Finch walked into the restaurant calmly, but his mind was alert. His eyes shifted around, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He smiled though as he saw a waiter came over to him.

"Can I help you sir?" He asked politely.

"Yes I'm looking for Mr. Wayne."

"Mr. Wayne has been expecting you. Please follow me." Finch followed the waiter through the restaurant. It was an extremely fancy restaurant, but Finch was thinking about seeing Bruce Wayne again. It had been less than a year since he had last seen his old friend, but a lot had happened in that time. Finch snapped back to reality as the waiter opened one of the doors in the back and held it open for him.

"Mr. Wayne is waiting inside." Finch nodded thanks to him and walked inside.

"Mr. Wren. Nice to see you again." Bruce Wayne said, standing up from a table he had been sitting at.

"Same to you, Mr. Wayne." Finch responded with a smile. The old friends embraced each other.

"Have a seat," Bruce said, gesturing to the table. Finch sat down opposite of his old friend and looked around, slightly paranoid. They were completely alone and there were no cameras as far as he could tell.

"Harold, I need your help." Bruce said seriously and Finch nodded.

"I suspected that._ It_ told me." Finch replied, and Bruce nodded understating completely.

"I have reason to believe that someone is going to try to kill me."

"Do you have any leads?" Bruce shook his head.

"I was out late the last couple of nights and heard some rumors on the street, but they are all dead ends." Finch nodded and thought for a moment.

"Well Bruce, I can give you my word that I'll try my best to help you figure this out." Bruce smiled a nodded a thanks.

"I've heard some rumors about a guy in a suit preventing crimes in New York." Bruce said, changing the topic to lighter news and Finch smiled.

"Yes. And he's quite good at it."

"So you guys work as a team?" Bruce asked and Finch nodded.

"I've heard that the streets of Gotham are becoming safer." Finch mentioned with a sly smile and Bruce shrugged.

"Why a bat?" Finch asked suddenly.

"Why a bird?" Bruce returned.

"Touché" Finch replied. Bruce thought for a moment before speaking.

"Bats scare me." He confessed quietly.

"Well, I'm not afraid of birds." Finch joked "But..." Finch's voice trailed off, memories coming back to him. Bruce nodded his understating.

"I know." He said. They both sat in silence, think about the past. After a moment, Bruce broke the silence.

"Well, I'm starving. Let's order some food."


	2. Deal

Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who has commented and favorited this story! Sorry that this chapter has taken so long for me to upload and that it's not very long. The next chapter won't be as long of a wait. (and it will be longer)

Okay, so I need to explain some stuff about the story before you continue reading. I have changed the Batman and Person of Interest story line a little due to major time differences and other complications. Some characters aren't dead and I changed a few other things to make the story work. (It _is _a fanfiction) Don't like then don't read. Anyway, thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy!

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_One week ago_

Elias stood still, waiting patiently for his guest to arrive. Scarface, his right hand man, looked around nervously.

"Are you sure of this boss?" Scarface asked, trying not to sound nervous. Elias slowly turned to face him, staring him down.

"Have I ever given you any reason to doubt my judgment?" Elias questioned, and Scarface just shook his head. They continued to wait patiently. Elias's eyes scanned his surroundings. They were by the Brooklyn bridge at pier 1, and the sun had set behind the horizon long before. Elias could hear two of his men behind him shift nervously, holding their guns a little tighter. Truth to be told, Elias also felt anxious about what was going to happen, but he made sure not to show his fear. Without warning, a man seemed to emerge from the shadows in front of them. He moved silently, and it seemed like he melted out of the darkness. Elias could hear his two men behind him gasp, and even Scarface was surprised at the man's sudden appearance. The man was about 6' 4", and wore a simple black suit. He looked like any other man, but Elias knew that this man was extremely dangerous.

"Are you Ra's Al Ghul?" Elias asked calmly, masking all of the fear he felt. Ra's stopped walking in front of Elias and cocked his head slightly.

"Elias, I presume. I am Ra's Al Ghul." Ra's replied in a calm chilling voice. "Why have you asked me to come here tonight?"

"I want to propose a deal. I believe that we can help each other achieve our goals." Ra's Al Ghul's eyes clouded with suspicion.

"What makes you think you know what I want?"

"Let's just say you're not the only one with spies." Elias said with a wicked smile. Ra's smiled back, but the smile never reached his eyes.

"You said you wanted to propose a deal." Ra's pointed out and Elias nodded.

"I know you want to destroy Gotham City. Why, I don't know but that's your business. I want to take over crime businesses in New York but certain people stand in my way. You take them out for me; I'll help you destroy Gotham." Ra's considered the notion. _He really doesn't know who I am or what I am capable of. He doesn't know what The League of Shadows does _Ra's thought to himself, considering his options.

"And why do you need my help?"

"I've run into some problems with certain people. I figure that someone might have more luck getting rid of them than me. And last I heard you were having problems taking over Gotham."

"So I help you get rid of these people, and you help me take care of Gotham?"

"Exactly." Inwardly, Ra's smiled, developing a plan.

"Alright."

"I'll be in touch." Elias said, but Ra's shook his head.

"Why not discuss the details now?"

"As you wish," Elias replied, slightly annoyed, "You take care of a detective named Joss Carter and the rest of the good cops in the city. And I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"Get rid of Bruce Wayne. It would be appreciated if you didn't kill him, but make sure he stays out of Gotham." Elias nodded his head.

"I should warn you of a man named John Reese. He likes to get involved in ruining my plans."

"He won't be a problem." The two men studied each other, wondering if it was a good idea to trust the other.

"So we have a deal?"

"Deal."

"You know, I'm a little offended that you came to this meeting alone." Elias commented.

"Who said I came alone?" Ra's replied and suddenly eight men dressed in black came out of the darkness. Elias's men jumped and pointed their guns at them but Elias waved them down.

"Impressive." Elias said watching Ra's carefully and Ra's tipped his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"I'll keep in touch." As quickly as they had appeared, Ra's Al Ghul and his men melted back into the blackness of the shadows.


	3. Enemy

Carter walked back to her desk with a cup of coffee and noticed Fusco at his desk texting someone. Carter watched him for a moment, slightly suspicious; Fusco always seemed to be texting someone and she wondered who he could be communicating with all the time. She didn't take the time to think about it too much though and sat down at her desk to continue her work.

Fusco sighed as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket signaling that he received a text, and he knew who it probably was. Sighing again, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and opened the message.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Hello, Lionel.

FUSCO: What do you want?

UNKNOWN NUMBER: I need a favor.

FUSCO: Want me to spy on Mr. Glasses again? I'm busy and spying on him is easier said than done.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Apparently.

Fusco felt his face redden with anger and tried to think of a clever comeback when he noticed Carter coming back to her desk, looking at him suspiciously. He could tell that she didn't fully trust him. Shaking his head, he went back to texting.

FUSCO: What do you want me to do?

UNKNOWN NUMBER: I need you to give me any sort of information on Bruce Wayne. Not public articles, I need any sort of police records and information the general public wouldn't be able to see.

FUSCO: Isn't that the professor's job?

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Finch is busy

FUSCO: Busy?

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Just get me the records, Lionel.

FUSCO: …

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Please

FUSCO: Fine.

Reese smiled to himself as he read Fusco's text and put his phone away in his pocket. He sat back in Finch's chair, staring at the blank monitors. He had been unable to log, or hack, into Finch's computer, and he felt completely useless. Getting up, he walked to his armory to check his guns.

ooOoo

Fusco looked up from his computer, hearing something. His eyes searched the ceiling and he looked around to see if anyone else had heard the sound.

"You okay Fusco?" Carter asked and Fusco looked at her for a moment before looking around more.

"You didn't hear that?"

"Hear what?"

ooOoo

Finch abruptly looked up, his eyes scanning the ceiling. Bruce also looked up, confused.

"Did you just hear that?" Finch asked and Bruce nodded.

"Yeah." They waited another moment, but nothing happened. Another moment passed and Bruce relaxed slightly and stood up.

"You ready to go?" Finch nodded and also stood up from the table, but he was still looking around suspiciously.

"You're too paranoid." Bruce commented as he and Finch walked to the door leading back to the main part of the restaurant.

"With good reason." Finch responded.

ooOoo

"Are you sure you're okay?" Carter asked Fusco again, not sure what sounds her partner was hearing.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Fusco returned and went back to trying to work. But he heard the noise again and turned to Carter.

"Please tell me you heard that." Carter gave Fusco another strange look before answering.

"Heard wha-" Before Carter could finish, there was a loud banging sound above them and the lights went out.

ooOoo

Finch opened the door and they began to walk out when without warning, a sound stopped them dead.

ooOoo

"What the hell…" Fusco mumbled to himself as the rest of the police officers looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

ooOoo

Finch and Bruce froze as they heard a woman scream and men with guns ran into the restaurant, shooting the air telling everyone to get out. People roughly scrambled over one another to get to the exits and one of the men noticed Bruce and Finch standing in the back and opened fired on them.

ooOoo

Before anyone could do anything, silent men dressed in black seemed to come out of all of the shadows, armed with swords. Faster than anyone could comprehend, the men attacked any police officer in sight. Most of the police armed themselves with their guns and tried to fight back, but the mysterious men seemed to appear and disappear anytime they came close to them.

ooOoo

Bruce saw the man point his gun in his and Finch's direction and without thinking he shoved Finch as hard as he could before dropping to the ground to escape the bullets.

ooOoo

Carter watched in horror as the strange men suddenly began to attack some of the police. It was extremely dark without the lights on and it was impossible to tell if the attack was random, or if the men were attacking certain targets. It didn't matter to Carter though. She grabbed her gun and moved to help her fellow police officers.

ooOoo

Finch stumbled and fell backwards to the ground as Bruce shoved him. He covered his head with his arms as splinters of wood sprayed everywhere as bullets hit the wall they were just standing in front of. The bullets stopped for a moment, and Finch could hear their attackers yelling at each other. Ignoring what they were saying, he took advantage of the moment by army crawling behind an overturned table a few feet away. The men noticed and instantly started shooting at him, but Finch managed to take refuge behind the table. He jumped when his phone began to vibrate, and he quickly pressed his earpiece to answer the call.

"This is an extremely bad time." Finch hissed to the caller.

"Finch! I need help! I need you to tell me how to get out of the police station! The lights are off and I can barely see anything!" Fusco shouted.

"What why? What's going on?" Finch hissed again, trying to keep his voice low.

"Freakin' ninjas are attacking the Police Station!" Fusco froze as he heard gunshots and a loud bang on the other end of the phone. "Finch!" Fusco shouted into the phone, but the line had gone dead.

ooOoo

Carter stood back to back with Detective Kane as they looked around for the mysterious men. It was hard to see with the lights off and the men seemed to blend in with the shadows. Most of the police officers were scrambling around, some trying to call for backup and some trying to fight back. It seemed like a never ending battle. Suddenly, Carter felt someone grab her and she tried to cry for help but her captor covered her mouth before she could say anything. Just when Carter thought that she was going to die, a gunshot rang out very close to her.

ooOoo

Bruce kept low to the ground as the bullets passed over his head. Once the bullets stopped, he turned his head to see Finch taking cover behind a table. Staying low to the ground, Bruce quickly made his way over to the men with the guns. He could tell now that there were only eight men, but they were all armed. _At least they are spread out. I can take them out one by one_ Bruce thought. Bruce slowly approached two of the men from the back and then quickly grabbed them, slamming their heads into each other. The men were instantly unconscious, and Bruce carefully lowered them to the ground. He then quickly made his way to the next armed man, but the man saw him coming. To avoid being shot, Bruce tackled the man but he failed to notice the two small metal cylinders in the man's hand. One of them fell to the floor right next to them and the other went flying across the room. There was a deafening high pitched explosion followed by a blinding white light.

Finch instinctively covered his ears at the deafening explosion and the bright white light burned his eyes. For a moment, he thought he was dead but after a few seconds his vision started to return, but his ears were ringing horribly. Wincing, he slowly pulled his earpiece out of his right ear to find it covered in blood. His free hand went to his ear and he could feel the blood trickling down. Finch closed his eyes, the ringing in his ears giving him a small headache. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his phone on the ground next to him. He picked it up, deciding to do what he did best.

ooOoo

Carter felt her attacker let go of her and fall to the ground. She sighed in relief as she saw that it had been Fusco who shot her attacker. Her relief was short lived though as she saw that the men were surrounding them.

ooOoo

Bruce found himself lying on the floor, his ears ringing and his eyes disoriented. He recovered quickly though and forced himself to his feet, but instantly recognized his mistake. The four remaining men had also recovered from the explosion and had their guns trained on him. Before anyone could move though, the lights went out and the fire alarm went off. The men jumped in surprise, giving Bruce enough time to fight them while they were distracted. One of the men though backed up, pointing his gun at Bruce again aiming carefully. Finch stood up from behind the table and saw the men aiming at Bruce. Without thinking, he picked up a glass from the nearest table and threw it at the man. It hit the man right as he was about to shoot, and he spun around, shooting at Finch instead.

ooOoo

Carter looked at Fusco, and he looked back at her, both wondering if this was the end of their lives. Before they had time to contemplate the idea that they were going to die, one of the back doors burst open, a man in a suit walking in shooting his gun in the air. The men in black jumped from Reese's sudden appearance, while some ran to attack him. Reese was prepared for the attack and he fought back. The men were well trained, and it was a pretty even fight. But as more men joined the fight, Reese could feel himself losing the battle. Fusco came to his aid though, while Carter ran to help Detective Kane who was trying to fend off four men on his own. Together, Fusco and Reese managed to fend off most of the mysterious men attacking them. The men retreated slightly and Reese turned to whisper to Fusco.

"They're coming. I'll talk to you later."

"What? Who?" Fusco asked turning to Reese, but Reese had disappeared. Fusco looked around then jumped as members of the SWAT team burst through the door Reese had come through moments before. Fusco relaxed as the ninjas disappeared, knowing that he was safe for the moment.

ooOoo

Finch saw the man with the gun turn and shoot at him, but he couldn't comprehend what happened next. One moment he was standing staring at the man who was going to end his life and the next he was staring at the ceiling a sharp pain penetrating his left arm. He groaned softly and his hand went to his injured arm, and he could feel the blood running down. Without warning, Bruce was suddenly next to him.

"You alright?" Bruce asked Finch, looking at his friend with concern.

"Just peachy." Finch responded and Bruce held out a hand to him. Finch took it with his good arm, and Bruce helped pull Finch to his feet. He examined Finch's arm for a moment before taking off his tie, tying it around Finch's wounded arm to stop the blood flow.

"The bullet just grazed your arm. You should be fine." Bruce commented and Finch nodded slowly, his arm stinging painfully. Together, they surveyed the restaurant, not sure what to think.

"Now what?"


	4. Going Back to Move Foward

_Years ago – Unknown date_

An eight year old Bruce Wayne slowly made his way down the dark street. He almost didn't notice as the buildings around him became more and more distraught, and the people around him began to look more poverty-stricken. The world seemed to change around him as the elegant city he knew well turned into an unfamiliar place with rundown buildings covered in graffiti. Trash littered the ground, and trashcans had fires burning in them. Little Bruce made his way farther into the unnerving place, walking deeper and deeper into the slums of Gotham City. It was starting to get darker, and a cool breeze chilled the air. While walking down the street, Bruce began to catch the attention of low-level gangsters. He froze in fear as some of them called out to him, calling him names and gesturing for him to go over to them. Bruce stood petrified, unsure what to do. Just then, he felt someone's hand on his shoulder and he jumped. He turned around to see that a boy, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old, had come over to him. He was not very tall, and he was wearing black jeans with an old disheveled black jacket over a t-shirt. He had spiky dark brown hair that was slightly unkempt and thick horn-rimmed glasses. As Bruce studied him for another moment, he could see a dark colored backpack slug on one of the boy's shoulders.

"You okay kid?" The boy asked, his voice calm, but slightly worried. "Where are your parents?"

"Dead." Bruce replied sadly, tears forming in his eyes. The boy looked sorry for him, and then looked around nervously. He put his hand back on Bruce's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"It's not safe for you to be out here alone at this hour. Follow me for now." Bruce stared at the boy, not trusting him.

"It's alright. You can trust me." The older boy said, seeing the hesitation in the young boy. Something in his voice told Bruce that he was telling the truth, and he nodded slowly and followed the boy. The older boy led him through the labyrinth of the slums of Gotham City and Bruce quickly realized that he had no idea where he was and would be completely lost without the guide of the older boy. They walked for a while before coming to a small abandoned building that was two stories tall and completely rundown. After looking around nervously, the older boy forced the door open and led Bruce inside. Bruce surveyed the room as the older boy shoved the door closed. It was a fairly small room, and the windows near the back were either boarded up or smashed. An old staircase was in the far corner and there were a few blankets on the ground near a metal trashcan, below a small broken window. Bruce shivered, partly from the coldness of the air and partly from fear. He watched as the older boy moved over to the metal trashcan, dropping his backpack next to the blankets. Producing a lighter from his pocket, the boy picked up a piece of trash from the trashcan, lit it on fire, and then dropped it back into the trash. Whatever was in the trash caught on fire immediately, and Bruce slowly made his way over to the warm comfort of the fire. Despite the heat of the fire, Bruce shivered again, a few tears managing to slide down his cheeks from all of the mixed emotions he was feeling. He felt grateful that the older boy had helped him, but he also felt terrified, and anger and sadness still filled him from his parent's death. Bruce looked up suddenly as the older boy draped one of the blankets around Bruce's shoulders in a way to comfort him. Their eyes connected as the older boy nodded slightly, wordlessly letting the boy know that everything was going to be okay. After a moment, Bruce cautiously sat down on the other blankets and the older boy sat down a few feet from him, leaning against the wall facing him. He seemed to be studying Bruce, so Bruce decided to break the silence.

"What's your name?" he asked quietly, wiping the tears from his face.

"People call me…Harold. Harold Wren." Bruce noticed the hesitation in Harold's voice and frowned, confused.

"It's not your real name?" Harold shook his head.

"No. What's your name?" Harold inquired, trying to change the subject.

"Bruce Wayne."

"Tell me Mr. Wayne, why are you wondering around here alone? It's dangerous, especially if you're wearing that. People will do anything for some money." Bruce looked down, remembering that he was wearing his expensive two-piece suite.

"I wanted to somehow tell the evil criminals that they will never again get away with anything like murder." Bruce confessed. Harold raised an eyebrow.

"That's probably not a great plan."

"I miss my parents." Harold looked down, feeling sorry for the young boy. He remembered hearing about Martha and Thomas Wayne being murdered; they had just been killed the month before.

"My parents were also murdered." Harold admitted. He wasn't sure why he told Bruce; it wasn't going to make the younger boy feel better, but he felt like he owed the boy some truth about himself. Bruce looked up at Harold, his eyes wide with surprise.

"What did you do?"

"I ran." Harold looked at his watch and quickly asked Bruce another question before the small boy could inquire any more about his past. "Who is taking care of you?"

"My butler, Alfred."

"Do you know where he would be looking for you?" Bruce thought for a moment before shaking his head no. Finch considered this fact for a moment before talking.

"It's too late to get you home tonight. It's dangerous to go out at night," Finch said, talking to more to himself than to Bruce. "I guess you will have to stay here…" Harold smile slightly on the inside; the boy's young face seemed to fall at the idea that he would have to stay in an abandoned building in the worst part of Gotham. He knew that the boy had only known luxury his whole life.

"Get some rest, Mr. Wayne." Harold suggested, and Bruce nodded.

ooOoo

Bruce slowly opened his eyes, panic seizing him as he woke up in an unfamiliar place. Before he had too much time to think about it though, the events of the night before dawned on him slowly. He sat up slowly, noticing Harold sitting right where he had been the night before. He was reading some complicated looking book, and Bruce wondered what he was reading. Harold looked up from his book, noticing Bruce.

"Morning Mr. Wayne." Harold said, closing his book and putting it into his backpack.

"Morning Mr. Wren." Bruce replied, smiling slightly. Besides Tomas Elliot, Bruce didn't have any friends, but he was beginning to consider Harold as a friend. He decided to try to find out more about the mysterious boy who had helped him.

"Are you from Gotham?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"No. Just passing through." Harold responded, not sure where the conversation was leading.

"Why?"

"I guess you could call it… studying."

"What do you mean?"

"It's complicated." Bruce frowned slightly, not knowing why Harold was being so secretive.

"Why are you staying here?" Bruce asked looking around the abandoned building.

"It's free." Harold responded with a straight face, and with anyone else Bruce would have assumed that it was a joke, but he couldn't tell with Harold.

"Where do you live?"

"I have a place with my friend in Cambridge, Boston."

"But where are you from?"

"Does it matter?" Harold's response came out harsher than he meant, and he instantly felt bad.

"Sorry." Bruce apologized, and Harold shook his head.

"Don't be."

"How did you end up in Gotham?" Bruce questioned, and Harold sighed slightly.

"…It's a long story."

"Where is your friend?"

"He's on… vacation." Harold could feel himself becoming increasingly annoyed with all of Bruce's questions, but Bruce didn't seem to notice.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Do you go to school?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"Sorry… I like knowing the answers." Bruce said a bit sheepishly, beginning to notice that he was bother Harold with all of his questions.

"It's fine, Mr. Wayne." Bruce hesitated for a moment before coming to the decision of asking Harold one more question.

"Mr. Wren?" Despite being annoyed with all of Bruce's questions, Harold smiled ever so slightly; he enjoyed how formal the boy was.

"Why did you run?" Harold's smiled faltered as he sensed the direction the conversation was going.

"When?"

"After your parents were killed. You said that you ran. Why? Why not stay and fight?"

"It wasn't that simple. It was either run or…" Harold hesitated and looked away, not sure what to say. Memories he had buried deep inside himself began to flood back to him. "I didn't really have a choice. It wasn't a battle worth fighting."

"Is ridding this city of the evil that took my parents' lives a battle not worth fighting?" Harold looked up at Bruce, and he could see that the young boy was serious.

"Bruce," Harold began, deciding to tell the boy the truth about what he thought, "If you want to take it upon yourself to help the innocent, and help rid this city of the evil that lives in it, I think that you should." Bruce considered the meaning of Harold's words and together they sat in silence until Harold spoke again.

"Well Mr. Wayne, I believe that it is time to get you home."

ooOoo

Bruce followed Harold as he led the way out of the slums of Gotham. They walked in silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence; it was more of a peaceful silence. It wasn't long before Bruce began to recognize the buildings and before he knew it, they arrived at the Gotham City Police Department. Together they made their way into the police department and walked only a few steps before gaining the attention of a police officer, who walked over to them.

"Bruce Wayne!" The officer said in surprise, instantly recognizing the young boy.

"He was lost, so I thought I would bring him here." Harold said smoothly, not quite lying but not telling the full truth either.

"Thank you. Good thinking on your part to bring him here. You alright son?" The officer replied, directing the question to Bruce. Bruce nodded and the officer smiled.

"Hey Foley!" The officer called loudly over the noise of the police department, "Please call Alfred Pennyworth and tell him that we have found Bruce."

"Sure thing Jim." The officer, Foley, replied. Harold shifted a little, and Jim turned his attention to him.

"Thanks again for bringing Bruce here, Mr.…"

"Wren. Harold Wren." Harold replied and the officer nodded.

"Thanks Mr. Wren. I'm Officer James Gordon." Gordon said, introducing himself. Harold nodded his head slightly to Gordon before turning to Bruce.

"I should go. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Wayne." Harold had barley finished his sentence when Bruce stepped towards him and hugged him. After a moment Bruce let him go and took a step back.

"It was nice to meet you too Mr. Wren." Bruce said with a small smile, and to his surprise Harold smiled back at him. After a moment, Harold turned and left the police station.

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**Hey everyone! I hope that you enjoyed the flashback! Sorry that it has been a while since i have last updated. Anyway, I finished this chapter extremely late at night so if you see any mistakes, please let me know. Reviews are always welcome. Have a great day.**


	5. Madness

Carter looked around the police station, not sure what to think. Time seemed to crawl by as she watched members of the F.B.I. question other police officers about the massacre that had just gone down an hour before. The power had been restored, and the bright lights illuminated the damage the police station had gone through. Most of the desks were overturned; papers and important documents littered the floor. Puddles of blood sprinkled the ground, and blood smears lined the walls. Deciding she needed some fresh air, Carter walked outside and took a deep breath. Outside was no better than inside. Ambulances surrounded the area with wounded officers receiving medical attention. F.B.I. agents stood around the perimeter, while others walked around, keeping an eye out for anything that was out of the ordinary. Almost instantly, she felt like she was being watched. Scanning the area, she saw the shadow of a man standing in the ally across the street. Without really thinking, Carter made her way toward the man. An F.B.I. agent stopped her, but he let her leave after she showed him her paper saying she was clear to leave. Carter crossed the street continuing towards the man lingering in the shadows.

"You alright Carter?" John asked quietly as Cater stopped in front of him and Carter shrugged slightly.

"Not really," Carter replied, trying to be honest. She looked around, watching the paramedics tend to the wounded police officers. "What the hell happened here tonight?" Carter asked turning to John, as if he knew the answer. John looked right into Carter's eyes as he responded.

"Actually, I was going to ask you the same question." Carter shook her head, looking away. Reese glanced at his phone, checking for any new messages. Carter noticed and frowned slightly.

"Have you heard anything from Harold?" Carter asked, although she felt like she already knew the answer. John shook his head as he replied.

"I haven't heard anything from him in two hours," John replied, trying hard to mask the fear in his voice.

"I'm sure he's fine John." Carter tried to reassure John, but she found that she didn't really believe her own words. Reese didn't respond and they continued to stand in silence. A loud ring broke the silence and John answered his phone instantly, knowing who was calling.

"Finch," John breathed a sigh of relief, "Are you alright? What is going on?" Carter watched as John's face paled as he listened to Finch. John started to say something but was cut off by Finch. Carter strained to hear what Finch was saying to John, but she couldn't make out the words. Abruptly, Reese lowered his phone from his ear and shoved it into his pocket, a calculating glimmer in his eyes.

"What did he say?" Carter asked but Reese didn't respond. "John," Reese looked at Carter and spoke quickly as he responded.

"Carter, you have to come with me now." Carter opened her mouth to say something, but Reese cut her off.

"Trust me." Carter sighed and then nodded.

"Alright John."

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**A/N - Wow! It has been far too long since i have updated this story! So sorry! No excuses really...I've been extremely busy with school and school work and I have had next to no time to write. I promise that the next chapter won't take as long. I know that this chapter is very short, but the next chapter will be a lot longer and hopefully updated tomorrow. A little preview, the next chapter is titled "The Batcave" :)**

**As always, reviews and criticism are always welcomed. And once again, if you see any grammar or spelling mistakes, please let me know.**

**Thanks for waiting so patiently for me to update this story.**


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